Brothers First, Witches Later
by Dr. Magic PhD
Summary: Episode 3 in the "Complete" series: Wesley feels cut off from his brothers, while Matthew has to make James believe that they all have to be brothers first before being witches.
1. Leave Me Alone!

_Sorry this one's late! I originally intended for it to be all the way up and done before my berfday and Halloween, but with my berfday being the day magic dies and all, things just didn't work out. Oh well, at least I got it started on my berfday! (Note: my berfday's actually on 29 October, so it's already here in Japan...you know, International Date Line stuff...)_

* * *

Wesley walked into the Office of Campus Life and signed in with the secretary, a young and attractive African-American work study student who looked as young and he did. Her shoulder length black hair shone as the sunlight bounced off of it through the window. She smiled warmly at him as he wrote his name, dormitory name, and reason for seeing the dean. He was almost back at his seat before she called back to him.

"So," she said, "you're looking to change roommates already? It's only been a couple of months."

"I know," Wesley sighed, "but it just isn't working out. Long story."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she replied with a genuine sincerity. "I'm having some problems with my roommate. She's too dirty."

"Same here," Wesley said. "A little, anyway."

He turned back around and took his seat again, completely unaware that the girl was still looking at him. Too many other things were flowing through his mind; he no longer felt that he could trust James and Matthew, his so called brothers, his classes were starting to become harder with each passing day, demons and warlocks kept attacking relentlessly, and his birthday was quickly approaching, as was Halloween.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, catching his attention again. "I mean, you know, sometimes talking about your problems helps to make them better."

"Well," Wesley said hesitantly, "it's kind of complicated to explain."

"You don't have to," she said quickly. "I just meant that if you wanted to, I'm all ears. I'm Stephanie, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Wesley said, smiling at her. "Wesley."

"I know," she replied. "You just wrote it."

They both laughed a little bit at Stephanie's words. Wesley looked into her eyes and realized that she was very attractive. At first, he had been too preoccupied with his life to notice, but now he felt a slight attraction to her and believed that she had a mutual feeling. The thought of having someone close to him whom he could trust relieved him quite a bit; if he could just tell somebody about everything that had happened to him over the past two months, he would feel a lot better than if he kept it all bottled inside him.

Then he remembered something; as extroverted and carefree as he was, none of it stuck when it came to women. He would get very shy and back away. He usually blamed it on a lack of relationships (he had only been in one serious relationship before now), but deep down he knew that it was because he couldn't stand the thought of being rejected.

Minutes passed and the silence became longer and more awkward as Wesley hid his face behind a book and Stephanie returned to her computer, typing nervously. She had never been in a serious relationship before now and was interested in Wesley. She wasn't very outgoing and was also shy when it came to romance, but she had hoped that the feeling would go away if Wesley asked her out. Who ever heard of a girl asking a guy out, anyway, she thought. She sighed as she gathered Wesley's impression on her.

"Um," she said, "Dean Moon can see you now."

"Thanks," he said awkwardly as he power-walked into the dean's office, not looking back at Stephanie. He silently cursed himself and wondered where all that confidence from before had gone.

He was about to open the door to the dean's office when the door suddenly flew open and a hand grabbed Wesley from behind. It scared him and he threw up his hands, freezing Stephanie in time. He turned around to see the last two people he wanted to see.

"What the hell is wrong with y'all?" Wesley asked. "Look what y'all made me do!"

"There's no time to explain," James said, pulling Wesley towards the door. "We've got a demon on our tails and we need you!"

"No," Wesley replied defiantly, snatching his arm away from James' grip.

"What?" James and Matthew asked in unison.

"I said no!" Wesley said firmly. "I'm tired of doing this. I'm tired of dealing with y'all. I just want to have a normal life now, with no magic and no Jimmy and no Matt and no demonic aftertaste. So, if y'all will excuse me, I have an appointment and a girl to unfreeze."

"She's cute," Matthew said. "You like her?"

"Don't try to play on my feelings, Matt," Wesley said. "Get out of here!"

At that moment, Stephanie unfroze and was staring at James and Matthew, who had seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Wesley thought quickly; he had to come up with something or else risk being exposed, although he felt that he could trust her with his unwanted secret. He laughed nervously to break this second awkward silence.

"I'm just gonna go in here now," Wesley said, smiling slightly and ignoring James and Matthew.

"But we have to take care of something," James said through his teeth. "Your appointment's not that important."

"This is why I'm here," Wesley said to Stephanie, pointing lazily at his two brothers. "They won't leave me alone."

Before Stephanie could respond, a large creature materialized into the room, appearing to have faded into sight. It was grotesque in appearance; it had a mouth full of fangs, claws for hands, and its eyes were a pale green. Its skin was a sort of crimson color and it had a face resembling a wolf with a body to match. It was covered in red fur.

It launched itself at Stephanie, who fainted at the sight of it. Wesley gasped and froze the beast in its path, hovering a few feet away from Stephanie's face with its claws outstretched. James waved his hand and the beast was hurled in the opposite direction toward a window. Wesley quickly shot out his hands and froze it again, just before it crashed into the glass window.

* * *

_Again, sorry about the lateness! I changed the storyline a bit and had to change everything else after that. But in the next chapter: the demon is dealt with, and Wesley deals with his brothers...click that "next chapter" button right now!_


	2. Argh!

"Are you crazy!?" he yelled. "It's broad daylight outside! You can't send this thing out there!"

"There's nothing else we can do," Matthew said. "Every time we think we kill it, it just comes back. Kind of annoying if you ask me."

"Nobody's asking you," Wesley said.

"Is Wesley Williams out here?" a voice said from behind the dean's door.

"Crap!" Wesley shouted as he froze Dean Moon in the nick of time. "Look at what y'all are doing to me! This is driving me crazy!"

"All you have to do is say the spell with us," Matthew said, unraveling a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Fine," Wesley said as he joined in with his brothers.

"_Dog faced demon, your days are done.  
Fire shall consume you until you are none!"_

The demon simply exploded into bits and pieces of residue, which in turn dissolved into nothing. Its screams could be heard as it was vanquished. Wesley turned around to see Dean Moon unfreeze and Stephanie begin to come to. He turned back to James and Matthew and glared at them.

"Okay," he said. "It's done. Now, please leave."

"What are you even here for?" Matthew asked.

"Haven't you noticed my lack of presence from the room?" Wesley asked. "I'm here to get a new roommate and a new life."

"I don't think they give out new lives here," James said absentmindedly as Wesley rolled his eyes.

"What happened here?" Dean Moon asked, confused. "Stephanie, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Stephanie responded, shaking her head. "I just..."

"She pulled an overnighter last night," Wesley said quickly. "She just dozed off for a minute."

"Dozed off?" Dean Moon asked. "On the job?"

"It's my fault," Wesley said. "I kept her up last night studying. Can we talk now?"

"I," Dean Moon said, still apprehensive about Wesley's story, "I suppose we can. Come on into my office."

Wesley slyly grinned as he waved goodbye to James and Matthew and winked at Stephanie. She mouthed the words 'thank you' to him for saving her the trouble of trying to explain what she thought she saw. James and Matthew, realizing that there was nothing that they could do to change Wesley's mind, turned and left the room.

* * *

"What is he thinking?" James asked, pacing back and forth in his room.

"Will you please stop that?" Matthew said. "You're starting to wear a trail on your floor."

"Sorry," James said, sitting down on his bed. "It's just that...he has no idea about what he's doing. He can't just abandon us, especially now that we're...supernatural. He's being completely close-minded, ignorant, and selfish. I mean, here we are, throwing our asses on the line almost every day and he just ups and wants to quit. We've been doing this for a few months now. He should know the drill by now. It's so..."

"Jimmy," Matthew said, but was not heard.

"...Frustrating that he can't let any simple thing go," James continued. "What is it about 'we were possessed' that he can't understand? I can't make any sense of..."

"JIMMY!" Matthew exclaimed, finally catching James' attention. "You're obsessing over something that's not worth obsessing over. Listen, I know how you feel. I was there, too, remember? But, it seems to me like you're trying to make everything go your way, and things just can't go like that."

"What are you talking about?" James asked. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Matthew answered. "You're not listening to Wesley. You need to show some kind of emotion other than...arrogance...around him. He probably thinks that we don't care about how he feels. That's probably why he's fighting so hard to get out of this. We have to meet him halfway and acknowledge his feelings."

"When did you turn into a counselor?" James asked.

"When I became the dreaded middle sibling," Matthew sighed. "The point is that we need to stop being witches first and start being _brothers_."

"That doesn't make any sense," James said. "We're both."

"You know," Matthew said, shaking his head, "I can understand why he always makes fun of you. What I'm trying to say is that even though we're both, we shouldn't focus on the witch part as much as the brother part."

* * *

_Truer words were never said, Matthew! Coming up next time: Wesley talks to the dean about changing roommates and a new evil appears in the midst..._


	3. Spilling the Beans

_Hey, folks! This is the now 22 year old Dr. Magic, PhD. Thanx to those who wished me happy berfday. To y'all others, a curse on you! Just playin' with y'all. I had a really great time. As a result of my increased mood, I'm workin' overtime on this story to put it up ASAP, but I need to get more reviews and suggestions to expedite the process...get it!?_

* * *

"Slow down, Wesley, and tell me what's going on," Dean Moon said calmly. "I'm sure that there's something we can do that's not as rash as getting another roommate."

"You don't understand these people," Wesley said. "They're overruling and obnoxious and bossy and mean and surly, and that's just the beginning."

"Mean _and _surly?" the dean asked, rubbing his chin and smiling slightly. "That sounds serious."

"It's...hard to explain," Wesley said. "I can just say that they're into things that I don't want to be a part of, but I'm always being dragged into them."

"What kind of things?" Dean Moon asked.

"Just...things," Wesley said.

"Well," Dean Moon explained, "if these _things_ are as bad as you say, then why don't you talk to them about it?

"I can't talk to either of them about it!" Wesley said. "They're too one-sided to listen to anything I have to say. They basically don't care about how I feel and treat me like some kind of child. Meanwhile, I thought that this was college, you know, a place full of adults."

"As much as you might not want to hear this," Dean Moon said, "I think the first step is to talk to them and see if you can't get them to listen to you. That's what adults would do, you know."

"What is that," Wesley asked, "sarcasm?"

"I'm afraid so," Dean Moon said, chuckling.

* * *

Below the surface of the Earth, in a dark and mysterious place called the Underworld, an evil plan was unfolding. Pacing back and forth in a dimly lit chamber was a female warlock, known as Lina. She was feared by many in the Underworld. She had a striking resemblance to _Tomb Raider's_ Lara Croft. Her dark features seemed to make her even more beautiful, but also more deadly. She was an assassin of the Underworld, only taking missions that would benefit her. Now, she had been offered a job by a member of the Dark Order, a sinister gathering of warlocks who had earned their reputations as being among the most vile and malevolent evil beings in the Underworld.

Lina walked back and forth, trying to decide what she would get out of this new assignment. She had just completed a mission just a few days ago, and she wanted to rest before jumping into something else, but after hearing about this certain case, she decided to think about it a little.

After much contemplation, she chose to accept the offer and disappeared from her chamber in a flame. She reappeared in another area of the Underworld. In front of her was a tall demon who called himself Krasney. He was otherwise known by his "colleagues" as the Demon of Choice. He turned around to face Lina as soon as he felt her presence draw closer.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"Hello to you too, sexy," Lina said seductively as she inched ever so close to him. He was a Mage, one able to change shapes at will. In his human form he appeared to be in his early thirties with long black hair and a rather husky physique, topped off with an overall dark demeanor. In his demon form, however, he was very grotesque in appearance. Three horns lay on top of his head, while spikes covered his entire back, which was an ashy gray color. The ends of his fingers sported short, but razor sharp talons. His mouth was full of jagged and pointed daggers for teeth.

"What do you want, woman?" Krasney said, neglecting to look at her. "Why do you bother me?"

"I have a job for you," she answered with a smile. "It's one with a great reward."

"What kind of reward?" he asked.

"It's a surprise," she whispered in his ear as she crept around his figure. "It involves the Complete."

"The Complete?" he asked, pushing her away from him. "Not even the Council has been able to kill those witches. What makes you think that I can do any better?"

"Because you'll have me working with you," Lina answered. "I have a plan, and I need your help to carry it out. Do as I say, and you won't get so much as a scratch on your handsome face..."

* * *

About a week and a half had passed since Wesley's meeting with Dean Moon, as well as his encounter with Matthew and Jimmy. Since that time, Wesley had been staying with a friend, who lived in an apartment complex just off campus, named Jason. He had taken most of his things out of the dorm room he had previously shared with Matthew. In fact, it seemed that things were going pretty well for him; although Oxford College was very small (there were only about 600 students in total), he had managed to not see James or Matthew for ten whole days. He ignored their calls and wanted nothing more to do with either of them.

Meanwhile, James and Matthew had been trying their best to find Wesley and get him to come back. However, they never seemed to be able to find him walking among the small crowds of students around the campus. Neither of them knew where he was living, but they knew that he needed to be found as quickly as possible because they were constantly being attacked by demons and warlocks. Fortunately, though, they were able to fight them off without Wesley.

"Where the hell is he?" James asked irately as he wiped a dark orange liquid from his face. "This is the eighth demon this week and they just keep getting messier. It's not fair for us to be doing all the dirty work while he's off somewhere being...clean!"

"Calm down," Matthew said, taking off his now heavily stained jacket. "Things will get better. We just need to focus on what's happening now."

"You said that a week and a half ago," James complained. "We're still where we were then now! I'm tired of playing games. How can we make progress when we can't even _find_ him?"

"He's coming back," Matthew insisted, but James only gave him a cold stare.

"Matt," he said, "he's moved all his stuff out of your room. I think that's a sign that he doesn't want to come back."

"Well then," Matthew asked, "what do you suggest?"

* * *

"Will you please tell me what the hell is going on with y'all?" Jason asked as Wesley walked in the door. "I feel like you're only telling me parts, but I want to know the whole story. We've been friends long enough for you to be able to tell me why you don't like Matt and Jimmy."

"Can you keep a secret?" Wesley asked Jason.

"Of course not," Jason replied, laughing.

Jason and Wesley had been friends since high school. They met each other running track and had since become good friends. Now they were both attending Oxford College as freshmen, but Jason had been lucky enough to get off campus housing. Wesley, on the other hand, was too lazy to apply and now he was regretting that laziness. Nevertheless, he and Jason completely trusted each other. He regarded Jason as more of a brother than he did Matthew or James at this point in his life.

"I'm not kidding around," Wesley said. "It's kind of a big secret."

"What's it about?" Jason asked.

"Me," Wesley answered. "Actually, it's about me, Matt, and Jimmy."

"The other guys that you hate?" Jason asked to make sure he was on the same track. "Didn't you already tell me why you moved out of there?"

"Kinda," Wesley said, looking at the ground. "I left something out, though. The thing is...when I met them...I sort of turned into a...you know, a witch."

"Halloween is a few days away," Jason said. "Is this some kind of publicity stunt?"

"Seriously," Wesley said, relieved that he had finally been able to tell somebody this secret. "Not only are the three of us witches, but, and you won't even believe this one, _brothers_."

"Proof?" Jason asked simply.

Wesley grabbed the nearest object next to him, the remote control, and threw it into the air as Jason looked on. With a quick flick of his hands, Wesley froze the remote control in midair, leaving Jason's mouth wide open. He looked at Jason and gave him an "I told you" look before grabbing the remote out of the air.

"How did you?" was all Jason managed to get out.

"I told you," Wesley repeated. "I'm a witch. That's my power. I freeze things. It's like stopping time. Jimmy can move things with his mind and Matt does this weird thing where he can move through things. Together, we're apparently the Complete, the three most powerful brother witches the world will ever know, destined to save the world, yada yada _yada_, blah blah _blah_..."

"Maybe I should sit down," Jason said.

"You already are," Wesley replied. "So that's my story that you so desperately wanted to know. Happy?"

* * *

_Wesley seems to be pretty good at dropping those bombs, doesn't he? Well, let's see what's gonna get dropped on y'all in the next chapter: Krasney makes a move and Lina attacks...draw your own conclusions for now!_


	4. A Plan Unfolds

_Hi! Thanx to Velvet-Chain (glad you have a name that's a little easier on the wrists now!), the lone reviewer who continues to remain faithful...just jokin'. I know people are busy! I'll still keep writing for the faithful few..._

* * *

Melissa's mind seemed to collapse upon itself as she was force­d to choose between her mother and father. They both hung in the air, suspended by an almost invisible strand of silver wire, which held them by their wrists. They didn't know what to make of the situation; neither did Melissa. The demon, disguised as a shady looking man, grinned slightly as Melissa tried to make an impossible choice.

"Hurry up and choose!" the demon commanded.

"I can't!" Melissa cried. "I just can't!"

"If that's your final answer," the demon whispered as he slyly leaned into Melissa's ear, "I guess I'll have to kill them both."

Melissa's screams were drowned out by her parents' yells as the demon's eyes began to glow dark green. Flames appeared from nowhere and engulfed Melissa's parents until there was nothing left. All of a sudden, Melissa was all alone. She thought everything had been a nightmare, but it just seemed so real. She turned around to face where her parents once stood, but only the faint silver wire was visible. The silence of the night was pierced by her cries.

"What have I done?" Melissa asked herself quietly as she held her head in her hands.

"You caused the death of your parents," an eerie voice whispered ubiquitously.

"What am I going to do now?" she asked.

"End it," the voice suggested almost hypnotically. "Think about it; you know you can't live without them."

A knife with a jagged edge appeared in a puff of green smoke in Melissa's hand. She clutched the weapon, tears streaming down her eyes, and gently stroked her chest with it. The mysterious voice kept urging her to "do it" and she trembled with fear. She didn't know what to do. The voice gradually grew into a constant and incessant command, nagging Melissa to plunge the knife into her heart. The same influential voice seemed to emanate from inside her mind as well as around her. Frustrated and devastated, she drew a deep breath before her world became darkness. As she fell over, a pair of hands caught her and raised her face to his. The demon opened his mouth as if to kiss her, but instead he sucked a white aura from her now lifeless body. The demon abruptly dropped the now useless victim to the ground; he had gotten what he had come for.

"Thanks for your power, _witch_," the demon whispered as he left the area in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

Jason continued to sit on the couch, trying to put together everything he had just heard from Wesley. Wesley had told him about him being a witch and being brothers with James and Matthew, who were also witches. Jason had also found out that they were not only witches, but the most powerful ones in the world. It was a long time before he could force any words out of his mouth.

"Not the remote," he said before realizing what he had just uttered.

"I didn't do anything to it," Wesley said, tossing it to Jason, who jumped away as if the remote was now a poisonous snake. "I just froze it. What's your problem? You wanted to know."

"I..." Jason mumbled, "I didn't know you were gonna drop a bomb on me like that."

"Well, I did," Wesley responded. "You're okay with it, right?"

"I don't know," Jason said. "It's kinda weird to see happening. And, if everything you said is true, doesn't that mean that...I don't know..._demons_ or something like that exist as well? I mean, if you're what you said you were..."

"A witch," Wesley jumped in. "You can say it."

"Yeah, that," Jason said. "Shouldn't they be coming after you?"

"I mean," Wesley said, "they probably will _now_, since you've mentioned it!"

Almost immediately, Lina appeared in their living room in a flame right behind Wesley. Jason had a look of sheer confusion on his face as he saw this woman just appear in a burst of flame as she did. He was about to say something when he saw Lina pull a katana out of thin air and prepare to strike Wesley. At the sight of that, Jason fell over the couch, pointing to her. Wesley turned around just in time to see a very sharp blade racing toward his neck. With panic dominating his senses, he disappeared in a shower of blue lights as the blade slashed through them.

"Damn!" Lina shouted. "Didn't know he could do _that_. I guess that leaves _you_..."

Lina walked coolly towards Jason, who was cowering behind the couch. He hadn't seen anything. Suddenly, he saw Lina standing over him, with her sword grazing his neck. He was on the verge of passing out, but knew that if he did, he probably wouldn't make it to the floor alive. He tried his best to keep perfectly still, but Lina's mere presence caused him to tremble.

"Where did he go?" she demanded, scraping his neck with her katana.

"I...I...don't know what y-you're talking about," Jason answered feebly.

"Don't play games with me," Lina ordered. Her voice had returned to calm. "I'm going to ask you once more. Where did he go?"

Jason looked up over the couch and saw emptiness where Wesley was supposed to have been standing. His mouth dropped; Wesley had abandoned him. Or did he? Just then, a shower of blue lights danced around the living room and rematerialized into Wesley. Jason covered his mouth in fear of saying anything, but Lina picked up on his actions and turned to see Wesley standing there, oblivious to the fact that he had been anywhere in the first place. He threw his hands out and both Lina and Jason froze in their tracks.

He breathed a sigh as he cautiously walked around Lina to Jason. He had never unfrozen specific people before and he didn't want to take his chances, so he did the next best thing he could think to do; he pushed Jason abruptly onto the ground, breaking the freeze.

"What the hell is going on?" Jason asked, looking back at the frozen Lina.

"No more talking for you!" Wesley said. "We're out of here! C'mon!"

The both of them sprinted out of the apartment and into Wesley's car. They sped back to the campus, figuring that they would be safest around other people. Lina smiled as she witnessed them escaping. She had never been frozen at all! She only pretended to do so. Her plan was slowly unfolding. With a slight grin, she vanished out of the room in a flame.

* * *

_Hmm...if I'm keeping count accurately, this is the second time that Wesley has kinda disappeared and reappeared without knowing it. Between you and me, I think he has some kind of Paige complex or something...but I'll let that story unravel itself in due time...keep reading, and start reviewing please!_


	5. Too Much of One Thing!

_Thanx for reviewing, as always. Hey Raya, bet you didn't know that I live in Texas...well, when I'm not in Japan or Atlanta. I'm from Dallas! D-Town foreva... Anyway, that's my part. Enjoy this next chapter!­_

* * *

Late that night, Krasney had found another witch he saw fit to torture. He stood over the young witch, who was clinging to her two children. The witch held fast to her infants, but the demon showed no emotion as a lightning bolt appeared in one of his hands.

"Now!" he bellowed. "You must choose which of your children is going to live."

"I can't," she sobbed. "I just can't. Please don't make me choose."

"Last chance," Krasney warned. "Choose who will die."

"No, I won't," she said. "I choose myself."

"You can't do that," Krasney replied with an evil smirk. A second lightning bolt appeared in his other hand. "Since you can't choose, then they will both die."

With that, the demon shot the two lightning bolts from his fingers, aimed directly at the two children. Each bolt hit its mark; soon there was nothing left of her babies for the witch to hold. She felt as if her world had just been yanked from her. She felt powerless and empty inside. A knife appeared in front of her and a voice urged her to kill herself. The voice told her that she might as well "end it" because she had nothing else to live for. It was almost like before, when the demon had convinced Melissa to kill herself. His plan never failed; the witch grabbed the knife and plunged it into her chest, relinquishing her power to Krasney.

"Now I have what I need to kill the Complete," he said as a green aura engulfed him and he disappeared.

* * *

James sat at his desk, scribbling on pieces of paper. His room was littered with dozens of paper balls he had made, trying to come up with something that would bring Wesley back to his senses. Finally, he had come up with something that he thought would do the job. He cleared a space on his desk and set a small bowl there. He memorized the spell and began to say it:

"_Attention my brother lacks,  
Forgetting that which is his purpose.  
His mission has begun to backtrack,  
So grant him some kind of focus."_

He set the piece of paper on fire and dropped it into the bowl to burn. Moments later, there was nothing left in the bowl. James got up from the desk and was about to do a little homework when there was a knock on his door. He quickly checked to see if there were any traces of magic lying around before opening the door. An attractive woman was on the other side. She resembled _Tomb Raider's_ Lara Croft, but she had darker, more mysterious features. James didn't say anything for a long while until she decided to speak first.

"James?" she asked in an innocent voice. "James Armstrong?"

"Jimmy," James corrected. "And you are?"

"I'm Lina," the woman answered. "I just transferred here from up north. I commute from Duluth, which is about 30 minutes away."

"I know where that is," James said. "I'm from Alpharetta."

"Wow!" she said. "Anyway, we're in the same History class. I sit way in the back, so you've probably never seen me, but I watch you all the time. I know this is a little bit awkward, but would you go out with me, say this Thursday?"

"You're pretty forward, huh?" James asked. "I like that."

"More than you know," Lina replied slyly, grinning.

"As much as I'd like to, Lina," James said politely, "I have other plans with my brothers. It's my youngest brother's birthday and we're trying to think of somewhere to take him. Maybe some other time?"

"Count on it," Lina said as she walked out of James' room. She closed the door behind her and immediately disappeared in a flame.

* * *

Matthew was typing his latest paper for Anthropology 120, which was due in two days; all of the supernatural activity had kept him preoccupied before, but now he had finally forced himself to sit down and write it before anything else happened. He had just finished the title, "Anthropology Paper," when the door burst open and Wesley walked in with Jason. Feeling slightly annoyed by the distraction, but glad that Wesley _was_ the distraction, Matthew stopped typing and looked at Jason.

"Hi," he said hesitantly. "What are you doing here? I thought..."

"Never mind that," Wesley said. "We got problems. Some evil chick just appeared and tried to kill us."

"Hey!" Matthew exclaimed. "Did you forget that _he_..."

"He knows," Wesley said. "I told him. Oh yeah, Matt, this is Jason. We go way back. We ran track together in high school."

Before Matthew could greet Jason, he noticed Wesley glow yellow for a brief second and then return to normal. Wesley didn't seem to know that anything had happened, but Matthew suspected something.

"You just glowed," Matthew said. "Nice to meet you, Jason."

"You too," Jason said. "You _did_ glow, Wes."

"What is wrong with y'all?" Wesley asked. "I didn't glow anything. I just need...what were we talking about?"

"Crap," Matthew said, turning to Jason. "Looks like he's under some sort of spell. Do you have anybody to stay with on campus so you'll be safe?"

"I'm sure I can find somebody," Jason said. "I hope y'all work things out. He's a good friend and all, but I think I'd rather have my apartment to myself."

"Good to know," Matthew said. "See you later, and nice meeting you."

After Jason left, Matthew helped Wesley, who was still in a state of confusion, to a chair. Wesley looked around as if he were lost and didn't recognize anything. He even looked at Matthew funny for a minute before snapping back to reality. He jumped to his feet quickly, like he had just found the solution to whatever it was that was on his mind.

* * *

_I wonder what's on his mind...and what exactly did that spell do?_


	6. A New Power?

"I have to go!" he shouted triumphantly as he made his way to the door, Matthew hurriedly jumped up and grabbed Wesley's shirt, pulling him back to the chair.

"You're not going anywhere," Matthew said. "Now why do you have to go?"

"Leave me alone, Matt," Wesley said quickly. "I need to go find Stephanie so I can ask her out."

"Why is that so important all of a sudden?" Matthew asked.

"I just found out the best way to refocus my life," Wesley said, speaking as if he had discovered life's greatest secrets. "I can't believe I never thought about it before! I can't explain it to you. Well, I could, but I don't know if you'd be able to understand it."

"What do you mean 'refocus your life?'" Matthew asked. "Are you okay?"

"Get out of my way!" Wesley said, jumping back to his feet. "I'll let you know how things work out."

Wesley was too quick for Matthew this time; he ran out of the room at top speed, leaving Matthew to sit there and wonder what was happening. He walked across the hall into James' room to find him throwing balls of paper onto the floor from his desk.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands," James said. "I'm trying to write a spell to put a little focus in Wesley's life so that he can help us instead of trying to ditch us all the time."

"How many of those spells have you actually cast?" Matthew asked warily, slightly scared to hear the answer.

"I don't know," James said. "None of them seem to work."

"Wrong," Matthew said, snatching the pen from James' hand. "They _all_ worked! But because you said so many, he's super-focused! And it's not on magic. He's obsessed with some girl named Stephanie. So way to go, Jimmy! Way to destroy yet another chance for me to finish my paper!"

"First of all," James said, "don't try to blame me for your paper troubles. Second of all, who's Stephanie?"

"Hell if I know," Matthew said. "Wait! I think it was the girl we saved from the demon a while back. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," James said. "She was pretty hot, wasn't she?"

"I know," Matthew replied. "I can see...wait a minute! We need to snap Wesley out of whatever he's in! His extreme sense of focus might be trouble."

"What?" James asked hastily. "More trouble than he's already causing us? Maybe this spell...or series of spells...is what we needed to bring him back to his senses. Maybe if he finds a little focus, he can see the bigger picture here."

"Remind me of what that picture is again?" Matthew asked.

"You know," James said, "to bring Wesley back here so that we can all just...be here...together. It's a lot easier to fight demons and stuff that way, too."

"Did you not hear a word I said the other day?" Matthew asked, shaking his head. "Let me start again. I..."

Matthew's words were cut short by a strange feeling that overcame him. He felt a chill rush through his spine as something seemed to knock the wind out of him. His eyes were forced shut, but instead of seeing darkness, he saw images, many images, racing through his mind. _A swarthy looking man killing a woman's two children...the same man and another woman's parents being killed right in front of her face...the same man now looking at Matthew and his body being consumed by flames..._ A sharp pain brought Matthew back to reality. He frantically checked his body for signs of burns, but found none. What had happened, he thought to himself. Had he just had a premonition?

"You okay?" James asked. "You kinda dazed out for a minute."

"No, I'm not," Matthew said. "I think I just had a vision or premonition or something."

"You don't get those," James said. "Are you sure?"

"Well," Matthew said, trying to think of something sarcastic to say, "I can't even think of anything sarcastic to say to that. Yes, I'm sure! I saw some shady looking man kill some woman's two kids. Then it switched to the same man killing another woman's two parents. Then the man looked at me and I was on fire and then I was back here."

"Interesting," James said. "What could you make of the whole thing?"

"That unless something happens," Matthew sighed, "I'm gonna die."

* * *

Lina waited patiently in her chamber for Krasney to arrive. With everything in place, she would be able to get rid of all three of the Complete in one night, completing her mission in less time than she thought. This was almost too easy to her. She had been doing this for years. She thought that the three most powerful witches in history would at least provide some sort of challenge for her, but apparently she was wrong. She mentally made preparations for her next move when Krasney appeared behind her. 

"It's about time," she said breathily. "Enjoy yourself?"

"Always," Krasney said. "I've killed the witches you wanted me to kill. I still don't understand why you would allow me to have those powers. Why don't you want them for yourself?"

"You don't trust me?" Lina asked, pouting as she turned to face Krasney. "Do you think I'm setting you up?"

"Of course I do," Krasney replied. "I'm a demon. It's not my nature to trust anyone other than myself. Tell me what you have up your sleeve."

"The only thing up my sleeve," Lina said, "is this job. I'd like to get it over with as soon as possible. It's frankly starting to bore me. I thought that these witches would pose some sort of challenge, but I was wrong."

"That doesn't answer my question," Krasney said, frowning.

"Just keep with the plan," Lina said. "Now, go."

Krasney vanished from Lina's presence in a cloud of green smoke. Lina looked down at the plans that lay in front of her. There was a pile of papers that she had been writing on, but the topmost piece of paper was a picture of James, the oldest brother. She had swiped it from his room without him even knowing it. She couldn't explain it, but something inside her urged her to keep staring at the picture...

* * *

_C'mon, Lina, you can do better than that! What is it exactly that she wants? I'm sure it's bound to be something unexpected (and I should know; I'm writing it!). Meanwhile, Jimmy's doing spells now? Why stop at one? Why not go the whole way and flood people with them!? Oh well. Coming up: Wesley is the first to go; Matthew wonders why he got a premonition in the first place..._


	7. More Bad Luck

_Sorry to keep y'all waiting! I was in a conference in Nagasaki for a couple days and I gotta tell y'all, I feel rejuvenated! Y'all know, like I was juvenated once, lost it, and got juvenated again...REJUVENATED! Anyway, keep those reviews comin' and I'll keep the chapters comin'!_

_I also hear that "Charmed" is finally starting to come out on DVD starting in February 2005. All I have to say about that is this: it's about time...now on with the next part!_

* * *

It was nighttime. Oxford College, being in the country, was extremely dark at night. There were very few streetlights on the campus. The deans insisted that it discouraged students from being out late at night. Wesley had been walking around the campus all day and all night, looking for Stephanie. No matter where he went, though, he couldn't find her. The spells James had cast on him only made him that much more determined to find her and declare his love.

In his mind, he wondered why he had never done this before. He was in college now; it was time for him to start acting like an adult, despite being sixteen. But even _that_ couldn't deter him; his birthday was mere hours away and he would be seventeen years old. Not that it mattered, but to him, seventeen just sounded a lot better than sixteen.

He couldn't figure out for the life of him what it was that was preventing him from finding Stephanie. There were only a handful of students at that college, he thought. Surely he should have been able to find one person. But it seemed hopeless. Nevertheless he kept looking. His search brought him to the quadrangle, simply known as the Quad. Oxford's campus was built around the Quad so that the shape of the campus resembled an oval from a bird's eye view (actually a 'Q' if you counted Haygood Hall, which kind of stuck out from the other buildings).

He sat on a bench, trying to think of a logical explanation for why he couldn't find Stephanie. His one-track mind kept him from noticing anything else. So he was naturally oblivious to Krasney's presence on the campus. Krasney, in his human form, approached Wesley.

"Hi," Wesley said blankly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Krasney said as he morphed into his demonic self. "I'm just fine...now!"

A lightning bolt appeared from the demon's finger and arced through the air towards Wesley, who was barely able to leap off the bench and onto the ground. The bolt struck the bench with such force that it was obliterated instantly, sending shards of wood flying in every direction. Krasney aimed again and Wesley quickly rolled away before the second attack hit him.

Wesley brought his leg forward and kicked the demon in the knee, tripping him. He sprang back to his feet and quickly scanned the area for any other people. Thankfully, no one else was around to see what was happening. He turned back to Krasney to freeze him, but he was nowhere in sight. He looked up, down, left, and right, trying to find him, but it was as if he had just vanished into thin air. The darkness of Oxford's campus didn't help Wesley's situation, either.

Suddenly, Krasney appeared behind Wesley, catching him by surprise. By the time Wesley saw him, it was too late; Krasney had extended his hand and Wesley collapsed to the ground, sound asleep. Krasney had used the latest power he had acquired from a witch, the power to induce sleep. Kneeling down, he grabbed Wesley's hand and the both of them disappeared from the Quad in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Well," James concluded after much thinking, "we can't let you die."

"Fabulous conclusion," Matthew said.

"And you're absolutely certain that you had a premonition?" James asked. "I mean, are your powers growing or something?"

"Who knows?" Matthew said. "Maybe your spell worked on me, too."

"How do you mean?" James asked.

"I don't know," Matthew said. "Maybe it made me focus in on whatever's happening with Wesley, but I don't understand what the premonition has to do with him."

"First things first," James said. "We need to figure out what's after you. If we stop that, maybe we'll prevent anything in your premonition from happening."

Suddenly, Krasney appeared in James' dorm room, standing between James and Matthew. He fingered a bolt of lightning at James, who quickly reacted by flinging his hand out. His telekinetic power rebounded the attack away from him, but towards Matthew, who frantically dove out of the way. The lighting hit a lamp on top of James' dresser, destroying it upon impact.

"Watch out, jackass!" Matthew shouted as he ducked under a table.

"Sorry," James said.

Krasney took the opportunity and grabbed James' arm, disengaging him from using telekinesis. He threw James into a wall, knocking the wind from him. Then he turned his attention to Matthew. He hurled another bolt of lightning at his target, but Matthew concentrated and the attack flew straight through him. Matthew charged Krasney, preparing to kick him, but before he knew it, he was on the ground, sleeping.

Krasney picked up Matthew's unconscious body and disappeared from James' room in a cloud of smoke. James rubbed his throbbing head as he looked around his room. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Only the lamp was destroyed and there was a small dent in the wall, but other than that everything looked fine. He snapped out of his dazed state and back to reality, realizing that Matthew was missing, as was the guy who took him. He stood up and went to get the Book of Light, hoping that it had some sort of answer to this problem.

* * *

Wesley awoke in a dimly lit room. Wherever he was, it stank. The smell was almost unbearable. Perhaps that was what caused him to awaken at all. He could feel the cold of the hard ground under him, but he couldn't move. His hands were tied behind his back, around a pole, to prevent him from using his power, as if it could save him anyway. He struggled to break free of the ropes, but it was no use; they were too strong. All of his shaking caused a voice behind him to stir awake.

* * *

_I don't know why I stopped here; it wasn't in my plans. But I'm sure we all know who the voice stirring awake is...so coming up: Wesley and "the voice" have a long talk about life and stuff. Meanwhile, Jimmy meets an unexpected guest who just kinda shows up out of the blue, if you get my drift..._


	8. Time to Bond

_I always feel bad leaving people at cliffhangers. Maybe it's because I've been on that side of the situation. Oh well, to answer Raya's question, I voted for Kerry with my trusty absentee ballot. I suspect that had I been from Ohio, I could have changed the world...

* * *

_

"Matt?" Wesley asked, straining his neck to see if Matthew was behind him.

"Wesley?" Matthew asked slowly, shaking his head. "Where are you? Where are _we_?"

"I don't know," Wesley answered. "Don't you remember anything?"

"Only," Matthew said, "fighting some guy and then just blacking out. Next thing I know, I'm sitting here with my hands tied behind my back."

"Sounds like what happened to me," Wesley said. "So, where's Jimmy?"

"I don't know," Matthew said. "Maybe that's a good sign. But it seems like there's a reason we're here and he's not. I just don't know what. But speaking of Jimmy, I think we should talk about, you know, the three of us. We've got nothing but time, and you can't go anywhere."

"Well _that's_ fair," Wesley sighed. "Anyway, I need to get out of here. I need to find Stephanie."

"Look," Matthew said, "I know that you really don't like being on your own. You're sixteen years old..."

"Seventeen," Wesley corrected as his watch beeped. "Right about now."

"Well happy birthday," Matthew said. "So you're _seventeen_, then. I'm nineteen and Jimmy's twenty."

"I thought you were eighteen," Wesley said.

"My birthday was two months ago," Matthew explained. "September 1st. But it's good to know how close we are."

"And the point is?" Wesley said in an exasperated tone.

"That it's time we started doing our jobs," Matthew said. "Whether you like it or not, we're all in this together. The sooner we all realize this, the better off we'll be. If we're all not together in this, it's only a matter of time before we all get killed. I don't think any of us want that. I can apologize and tell you that we weren't ourselves back when Matthias was around, but that's it. You have to accept that things like that can happen in this family, and you have to be able to move on afterwards. You can't just assume that we attacked you because we hate you because that's not true."

"Matt," Wesley cut in, "remember what I said last time? I said that evil doesn't create feelings; it just magnifies them without inhibition."

"That's from your perspective," Matthew argued.

"My perspective it pretty important to me," Wesley said. "I do like to be the star in any of my relationships."

"Anyway," Matthew insisted, "it's important that we all keep focus on the bigger picture. We're witches, but we're also _brothers_. That's the source of everything. We have to be brothers before we can be witches. You understand?"

"I do," Wesley said, "but does Jimmy? I mean, all of this stuff sounds nice and all coming from you, but what does _he_ think? You can't speak for him. I have a pretty good feeling about what he thinks of me. Frankly, I don't like it. You can't hide the fact that we're just two people who can't get along well. And if that's the case, then I really don't think that the whole brother thing can go over."

"You have a younger brother back in Texas, right?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah," Wesley answered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"How did you feel when he first came into the picture?" Matthew asked. "I mean, did the two of you always get along smoothly?"

"No," Wesley said. "We just recently started liking each other."

"Do you get it?" Matthew said. "People fight, but real brothers and sisters are able to move past it all. That's how the bonds grow stronger over time. You and Jimmy can't expect to become best friends overnight. It takes time, tolerance, and trust."

"What are you," Wesley asked, "a poet or something? What's with all this alliteration?"

"Think about that," Matthew said. "He may never admit to it now, but he likes you. I like you. And I know that you like us."

At the realization of Matthew's words, Wesley glowed a faint yellow color briefly before returning to normal. He never realized it, though, and continued to converse with Matthew.

* * *

"Everything's in place," Krasney said, appearing behind Lina in a cloud of smoke. "I have the two younger ones in captivity. Are you sure that everything will work out?" 

"Have I ever steered you wrong?" Lina asked, grinning and turning to Krasney.

"We've never worked together," Krasney answered bluntly.

"Now," Lina said, ignoring him, "all we need is to get that handsome Jimmy to them. He won't be able to choose, of course, and you can kill the two other ones and take their powers. But leave the oldest one to me..."

"What have you got planned?" Krasney asked. His interest was definitely piqued.

"Don't worry about it," Lina said. "I just want to have a little fun..."

* * *

"_Krasney_," James read aloud, "_the Demon of Choice. A formidable demon with the power of persuasion. He targets witches and forces them to choose between two of their loved ones. When the witch cannot decide or chooses him or herself, Krasney kills both loved ones and uses his powers to drive the witch to suicide, relinquishing their powers to him._" 

James looked at the picture above the entry. It was a man on one side and a creature on the other. It looked as if someone had taken two pictures, cut them in half, and pasted them together into one person. He recognized the human half as the guy who attacked him and Matthew earlier. He figured that the other half was Krasney in his true form. He grimaced at the demonic version.

"Pretty ugly, huh?" a voice said behind him.

James turned around to see a cascade of blue lights rearranging themselves into a man. The man was an African-American, around the same height as James. He looked to be in his mid forties, but was also healthy looking. He sported a stylish goatee and kept his hair cut short.

He slowly walked towards James, who didn't know what to think. James immediately viewed him as a threat and waved his hand, sending the man flying towards the door. However, before the man made any impact, he disappeared in the same blue lights and reappeared in the same place, unharmed. He put up both his hands, signaling peace. It was quite a while before James said anything.

"Who are you?" James asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you," the man said. "If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it by now. I've been sent here to guide you and your brothers every now and then. Think of me as a kind of...guardian angel."

"Guardian angel?" James asked. "Do you even have a name? At least tell me that."

"It's John," the man answered. "You know, like uh...John..."

"Nice to meet you," James said warily. "How can I trust you? Who sent you?"

"You three have been witches for only a short while," John explained. "As the Complete, you three have an enormous weight on your shoulders, but it is one that no one but you three can bear. I can't tell you much else, except that I'm here to help you for now."

"For now?" James asked. "Is this a one time thing?"

"You can't learn anything if you don't learn anything," John said.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" James asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it," John said. "Right now, you need to focus on finding your brothers. Are you sure that this is the demon who took them?"

"Yeah," James said, pointing to the picture. "His name is Krasney. He attacked me and Matt earlier and took him off. He probably took Wesley as well."

"Well if this is what I think," John suggested, "then this could be trouble."

* * *

_And who is this John character? And what kind of trouble could there be, besides the obvious? And I was gonna make this chapter more of a cliffhanger, but then I'd be contradicting myself. And coming up: Matt gets another premonition and a "plan" is formed. And y'all don't wanna miss this!_


	9. Truth Unfolds

_Sorry this one's late…problems with the website I guess…

* * *

"Did you get it yet?" Wesley asked Matthew._

"No," Matthew said. "Just keep picking at the knots. You know, Jimmy's power would really come in handy right about now."

"So would yours," Wesley said.

"It's not like I haven't been trying," Matthew said. "Maybe these ropes are magical or something. Besides, I have a headache and can't really concentrate on anything right now."

"What use is a power if you can't use it?" Wesley mumbled loudly.

"Shut up and keep trying," Matthew said.

"Okay, okay," Wesley said. "Don't get all worked up. Where the hell is Jimmy? You would think he'd have put all the clues together by now."

"I don't know," Matthew said, "you know how he…"

Before Matthew could finish his sentence, his mind was flooded with images, just as it was before. The chill went down his spine, the wind seemed to be knocked out of him, and all he could see were images. _A shady looking man, like the one before, is laughing. James has his head in his hands. He doesn't know what to do. Suddenly, a thin rope tightens around Wesley's throat, as well as his own…_. He came out of the vision coughing intensely and gasping for air.

"What happened?" Wesley said. "Are you okay?"

"Kind of," Matthew said. "I just had another premonition."

"A what?" Wesley asked. "That's like a vision, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Matthew said.

"Since when do you get those?" Wesley asked.

"Since earlier today," Matthew answered. "To make a long story short, I think Jimmy meant to put a spell on you, but it backfired because it's Jimmy. Now, I'm getting premonitions whenever I focus on something, and you became focused on finding that Stephanie girl."

"What?" Wesley asked. "I'm not focused on that, even though I'd like to be."

"You're not?" Matthew asked. "I guess your part of the spell played out when you found balance in your life. As for me, I think we're in trouble. From what I can piece together, a demon's out to get us."

"Which he has," Wesley interrupted.

"And," Matthew said, ignoring Wesley, "he's planning to make Jimmy choose one of us to die."

"What!?" Wesley shouted. "Why?"

"Why not?" Matthew said. "They all want to get rid of us."

"Either way," Wesley said, "it's an easy choice he has to make."

"What are you talking about?" Matthew asked.

"I'm talking about Jimmy liking you a lot more than me," Wesley said. "Y'all have so much more in common."

"That's crazy," Matthew said. "He's not gonna choose between us. He'll most likely choose himself."

* * *

"You don't know anything else about him than what you see here," John said.

"I know what I need to know," James said. "I know that I'm gonna get my brothers back."

"How?" John asked. "He'll make you choose one of them to die."

"I have a plan," James said. "I'll choose myself and when he tries to kill me then I'll just fight him off with my powers."

"What kind of plan is that?" John asked. "Listen to reason. That plan won't work. He will have already killed both Matthew and Wesley. Krasney's power to kill is…well, limited."

"Limited?" James asked.

"For lack of a better word, yes," John said. "In any situation, he's only able to kill either the two you have to choose or the one you _do_ choose. He wouldn't be able to kill you. It's part of his plan. He targets three people; two to kill and one to make a choice between the two. He knows that the chooser can never choose so he ends up killing the two and uses his power of persuasion to drive the chooser to suicide."

"Oh," James said. "_What_?"

"It's like a fine print of killing," John remarked.

"So if I _do_ choose," James postulated, "which I won't, he can only kill the one I choose. So me and the one who's left would be able to kill him. This spell to vanquish him doesn't need all three of us to read it."

"Nobody's ever been able to choose," John said.

"So you're saying that I won't be able to, either?" James asked. "Look, you're here to _guide_ me, not tell me what to do."

"You're right," John said. "Well, be careful then, because I know that he killed a witch a few days ago and acquired the power to induce sleep instantly. You may not have time to act at all."

"So what should I do?" James asked.

"_Now_ you want my advice?" John asked. "The way it seems, you _may_ have to choose."

"I told you," James said, "I won't do that! I can't risk losing one of them."

"It's either one or all three," John said. "But I can't make you decide. You have to do this yourself."

"Some help you are," James said.

"Thank you," John said. "One more thing? Could you do me a favor and not tell your brothers about me just yet? I don't think it's time they found out about me."

"Got any secrets?" James asked.

"Not really," John said. "It's just not time. Be careful. I want to see the three of you back again in one piece."

"My plans never fail," James said triumphantly as John disappeared in a shower of blue lights. "_Because I've never come up with one…_"

* * *

_Truer words were never spoken, right? Just kidding; that's just me and my passive-aggression shining through. Coming up: James finds his brothers and the action begins…again… Don't miss out on it!_


	10. The Battle Begins

_Happy Thanxgiving to everybody! I hope y'all had more turkey than I did…Due to very small oven space and lack of turkeys in Japan, I had to compromise…

* * *

_

Wesley and Matthew were still trying to untie themselves, but nothing seemed to be working. After so many useless attempts to free himself, Wesley finally stopped trying and closed his eyes, sighing.

"I give up," he said.

"No," Matthew said. "You have to keep trying. We'll get them off sooner or later."

"Most likely later," Wesley remarked. "Face it, there's no way that we're gonna make it out of here alive, at least not both of us."

"Is the glass half empty today?" Matthew asked.

"It's twice as big as it needs to be," Wesley replied.

"Listen to me," Matthew said. "We'll get out of here and everything will be fine."

"Easy for you to say," Wesley said. "He's gonna pick you to stay alive, since you're the favorite brother and all."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Matthew asked. "There's no way he's gonna be able to choose between us!"

Just then, there was a loud bang and light filled the room. The doors burst open and there stood James, breathing heavily. He had used as much power as he could muster to get the doors open. He spotted his brothers and quickly ran to their side, using his powers to unbind their ropes.

"If it had been hide and seek," James joked, "I would never have found y'all."

"Not funny," Matthew said, standing to his feet and stretching. "Where have you been?"

"Long story," James said.

"How did you get here?" Wesley asked, massaging his hands.

"Longer story," James said.

"You have to leave," Matthew said. "This demon will kill you."

"Oh," James said, "he can't kill me. You two, maybe, but not me."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked. "He's a demon. It's what they do, kill people, _anybody_."

"I looked in the Book," James explained. "He's the Demon of Choice. He can only kill the two people he makes a person choose from. His power to kill is…limited."

"What is that, some kind of _fine print of killing_?" Wesley asked. James stared at him upon hearing those words again. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"The deal is," James said, "he can't kill me, but I'm sure he can hurt me. We have to figure out a way to get to him before he uses some weird power he has to make people go to sleep."

"I guess that's how we ended up here," Matthew speculated.

"Give the man a prize," Krasney said, applauding from the doorway. "I see you three have finally found each other. I was wondering if you would ever do it. I got bored waiting."

"So you decided to kill innocent people?" Matthew said, glaring at the demon.

"They had things I wanted," Krasney replied, "so I had to do what I had to do. Just like now, I'm going to do what I have to do."

Krasney conjured a bolt of lightning in his hand and hurled it at the three brothers. Wesley and Matthew ducked while James reflected it with his power, reversing its course. Krasney grinned as he tilted his head slightly to the left; the lightning bolt flew right past him and crashed into the door behind him. James waved his hand again and Krasney was suddenly cast into a wall with amazing force.

"You two stay here," he said to Matthew and Wesley. "I'll be right back."

"Don't tarry," Wesley said dryly as he tended to his sore wrists.

James ran to Krasney, who was shaking his head. He grabbed his shirt and threw him to the ground. He was about to kick him when his feet were suddenly swept from under him and he fell to the ground. Krasney leapt onto his feet and took James arm, twisting it. With one motion, he threw James into a wall, dazing him momentarily. Soon, the two of them were engaged in a full out fist fight. It seemed that neither could gain a clear advantage. Finally, after ten minutes of watching, Wesley hastily froze Krasney in his tracks, just before he could lay his fist into James' face.

"What did you do that for?" James asked, breathing heavily.

"You're welcome," Wesley replied. "Look, we've been watching you show off for about ten minutes. I'm tired, my wrists hurt, and I just want to go to sleep, so can we get this over with?"

James turned away from the still-frozen Krasney and walked back to where his brothers were. About midway between Krasney and his brothers, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. He fell on his face, exposing the dart that was mysteriously lodged in the back of his neck. Matthew ran to help him, but Wesley didn't move. He thought he had seen someone hiding in a corner. He squinted his eyes, trying to confirm his suspicions. He saw a woman, similar to the one who had attacked him and Jason earlier, disappear in a flame. He could barely make out any specific features, though. He joined Matthew, who had pulled the dart from James' neck.

"It's a tranquilizer," Matthew said. "He should wake up in a few minutes."

"Maybe he'll have made a choice by then," Krasney said. He had unfrozen and now was facing Matthew and Wesley.

He snapped his fingers and a thin silver wire appeared around both Wesley and Matthew's throats. The wires tightened until they were firmly around their throats. Magically, the two brothers were lifted into the air, trying desperately to breathe. All of their yelling stirred James awake. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Krasney laughing at something, but what? He followed the yelling to its source and found Wesley and Matthew, dangling in the air by a silver wire. He jumped to his feet and raised his hand menacingly at Krasney.

"I don't think so," Krasney said. "If you use that power of yours, then I'll have to tighten the hold around their necks. Don't you think it's tight enough? Their fate rests in your hands."

"What do you want?" James asked. "Let them go."

"I want you to choose," Krasney answered. "Choose which one of your brothers will live and which will die."

"How about we make a deal?" James offered.

"That's not how this works, my friend," Krasney said. "You're in no position to make a deal. The way it works is that I give the options and you choose. It's that simple."

James stood there, trying to think of what to do next. He knew that things would come to this point, but he hadn't quite thought of what exactly he was going to do. He thought about choosing one, but quickly put the thought out of his mind. He knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he knew that one of his brothers had been killed because of him. It was like he had no choices left; Krasney's plan was unbeatable after all. John was right.

* * *

_Forgive me, y'all! I had to stop here for some reason! It was like something was in my head, sayin', "fool, stop here!" But (there's always a 'but'), coming up in the next chapter: James racks his brain trying to figure out a way to save both of his brothers, or else he risks losing them both._


	11. A Choice Is Made

_Last time, we saw that James received a visit from a mysterious stranger whom _**x Raya**_ claims is Wesley's father. Is she right? I can't say for now, so we'll just let her roll with whatever she wants to think. Also, James found both his brothers and thought he could take Krasney one-on-one, but some vaguely familiar woman stepped in momentarily to change the outcome. Now, we rejoin the action…_

* * *

"My patience is running out," Krasney said. "Choose the one you wish to save."

"I…" James began, looking at Matthew, then Wesley. "I can't…"

"Are you sure?" Krasney asked with a smirk. "I would have thought that the Complete would prove to be a little more challenging than what I'm seeing right now. I guess there's nothing special about any of you after all. The important thing, though, is that once I take all of your powers, I'll be invincible! Now, choose!"

Something clicked inside James' head at that moment. He had finally thought of an idea, although he was completely unsure of how it would turn out. He knew that he only had one chance and that he couldn't stop halfway through it, or else he would risk losing both of his brothers.

"Okay," he said with determination in his eyes.

"What?" Krasney asked.

"I said okay," James repeated. "I'll choose. In fact, I've already made a choice."

"Are you sure?" Krasney taunted. "You realize that you hold your brothers' fates in your hands? You know that whatever happens to them will be your fault, and yours alone?"

"Stop wasting my time," James said calmly. "I told you, I will choose."

"Interesting," Krasney said. "Perhaps you're more of a challenge than I thought."

"Perhaps," James said mockingly, "I want to get rid of your sorry ass."

"You tell him, Jimmy," Wesley shouted as the wire around his neck tightened slightly. "Ouch!"

"Jimmy," Matthew called out. "Jimmy, you can't choose! Don't do it! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Yes, I do," James said to him.

"So you're willing to sacrifice one of your brothers' lives just to kill me?" Krasney asked.

"That's the idea," James replied.

"Then you'll have to live knowing that his death was your fault," Krasney added.

"Same old story," James said.

"Fine," Krasney said. "Who do you choose?"

James' gaze focused on Matthew, then Wesley, then back at Krasney. He was beginning to second guess himself. What had he done? Why was he putting so much pressure on himself? Furthermore, why was he forcing both his brothers to endure such torture? He was making them think that one of them would die in a matter of moments.

"I guess," James said slowly, taking a deep breath, "I'll pick…Wesley."

Wesley felt as if his heart had just exploded in his chest. He was speechless; James had just condemned him to death. But then again, something inside him knew that James would pick him anyway. Besides, they never got along much anyway. Why would today be any different? He closed his eyes, his emotions all running together. Matthew looked at James with a confused expression on his face. He had no idea of what James was doing.

"Alright," Krasney said as the wire disappeared from Wesley's neck. "You have to live knowing that he died because of you."

Krasney conjured a fireball in his hand and prepared to throw it at Wesley, but stopped before he did.

"You know," he said, "I've been doing this for hundreds of years and no one has ever been able to make a choice. Oh well, the Complete is three witches and not two, so killing one ends the threat. I guess blood's not as thick as you thought, Wesley."

He threw the fireball at Wesley, who didn't even make a move to avoid it. Matthew turned his head in disgust at both Krasney and James, who to him had betrayed him. Before the fireball struck, though, it abruptly veered off course. It zoomed through the air and hit the wire holding Matthew in the air. The wire snapped and Matthew fell to the ground, clutching his throat. Krasney looked back at James with a great wrath and fury in his eyes. He reached out a hand to James and he fell to the ground, unconscious. He turned his attention back to Wesley, who had found the will to move again. He had taken the opportunity to freeze Krasney just before anything else happened. Afterwards, he just stood there, dumbfounded. Matthew ran to James, trying to shake him awake, but nothing worked.

"What do we do now?" Matthew asked.

"Hell if I know," Wesley replied. "What do I care? I've been condemned to death, remember?"

"Shut up," Matthew said. "You're still alive. Maybe he's got a spell or something in his pocket."

Matthew reached in James' jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with a spell scratched on it. James had copied the spell out of the Book of Light and was hoping that one of his brothers would find it. He had assumed that Krasney would use his power on him and he would be unable to do anything. He had left everything to Matthew and Wesley, whom he hoped would pull through.

"Got it!" Matthew said as he ran back to Wesley.

"_You made me pick.  
__You made me choose.  
__I've won the fight;  
__Now you will lose!  
__I've made my choice  
__And it is this:  
__Your painful death  
__In Hell's abyss!"_

"No!" Krasney screamed as he came out of Wesley's freeze. Green flames began to engulf his legs, then his arms, then his chest, and finally his head. Soon, the flames caused him to melt away into nothing. With Krasney vanquished, James began to awaken from his sleep, unaware that anything had happened.

"Y'all alright?" James asked.

"Fine," Matthew said.

"Yeah, yeah," Wesley added.

"How did you know to do that?" Matthew asked.

"It's a long story," James said, careful to keep John's secret. "Basically, I knew that the only way to vanquish him was if I made a choice, so I had to pick Wesley so that he could freeze him."

"Which would distract him long enough for someone to read the spell," Matthew said, finishing James' thought. "Nice plan, bro."

"Didn't take long to draw up," James said with an air of fake arrogance. "Wesley, sorry I had to make you think I'd pick you. It was all part of my plan and I couldn't…"

"I get it," Wesley quickly said, cutting him off. "It's okay. In fact, while we were sitting here, on the cold ground, waiting for anything to help us out of this dark, dark situation that…"

"Rambling," Matthew reminded Wesley.

"Right," Wesley said. "Anyway, Matt and I had a long talk and…I guess we're all cool again. I suppose it wasn't entirely y'all's faults…"

"Good to hear," James said.

"Well," Matthew said, "we're done with the latest demon. Actually, it seems like we're a little earlier than usual…"

"So?" Wesley asked. "I hope y'all aren't expecting some sappy group hug or anything to end the night?"

"Not to _end_ the night," James said, pulling Wesley and Matthew into headlocks.

* * *

_I was real tempted to stop right before Jimmy made a choice, but I thought about how I would feel if that happened to me… I hate having a conscience! Anyway, don't form any final thoughts on this story yet; it ain't done! There's still one last chapter left, so don't miss it!_

_And thanx to _**EE Diamond**_ for likin' my stuff! Always a pleasure to know that all this writing and risk of Carpel Tunnel ain't in vain...!_


	12. Finally, A Happy Ending

_I decided to go ahead and post this last chapter a little earlier than I planned. It's not too long, but it kinda gives a little background into the entire series, at least I like to think so._

* * *

The three brothers arrived back at Oxford late that night. It took them a while to find their way back from wherever they had ended up. James pulled into the far parking lot (all the other good spots were taken) and he and his brothers made their way back to Branham Hall. They entered through the back door, since it was the closest entrance. James and Matthew stayed in front of Wesley and instead of going to their dorm rooms, they led him into the lobby, where both Branham Hall and East Hall were joined. The moment Wesley stepped into the lobby, he was overwhelmed when a multitude of voices yelled "SURPRISE!" at him. He looked around and saw all of his friends, including a few he didn't know. He smiled at the scene and looked back at his brothers. 

"Sneaky," he commented under his breath.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet," James said he grabbed Wesley and pushed him along a trail leading to a table.

Matthew walked in front of the two of them to block Wesley's vision, but when they finally stopped walking and Matthew stepped aside, there sat Stephanie at the table, beaming at Wesley. Wesley, caught off guard by this surprise, just smiled back. With a quick prod, James forced Wesley to the seat next to Stephanie as he and Matthew sat in the two chairs opposite them.

"Hi," Matthew said, "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Matt and this is my brother Jimmy."

"Nice to meet you," Stephanie said, giggling.

"And this is our little brother, Wesley," James said, pointing to Wesley, whose face was now slightly red.

"Thank you," Wesley said through his teeth before turning to Stephanie. "They said they were my brothers, but they're really my _fathers_, or some kind of annoying equivalent."

"I see," Stephanie said as she looked at James and Matthew, who were staring at both her and Wesley at this point.

"Okay, bye!" Wesley said forcefully as he manually removed his brothers from the table. "So, where were we?"

"Happy birthday," Stephanie said. "That's where we were."

"Oh yeah," Wesley said.

"I'm glad we got everything straightened out," Matthew said to James.

"Yeah," James said blankly. "So did I."

"What?" Matthew asked. "What are you talking about? Hello?"

"I'm here," James said, staring at a girl. "But I should be over there right now. That's the girl who asked me out a couple days ago. I think her name was Lina. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go talk to her. Have fun."

"Right…" Matthew said as he watched both his brothers enjoy themselves.

* * *

_Wasn't that nice of Wesley's brothers to not have forgotten his birthday after all! Now Wesley's 17, Matthew's 18, and James is a whopping 20. Just in case y'all don't know…_

_And that concludes episode 3 of season 1 of my "Complete" series. I'm currently working on (more like **trying** to work on) the next episode and I hope to get it published ASAP, sometime in December since it's a Christmas story. And as usual, if y'all have any comments, questions, suggestions, ideas, or even a funny story, you can send it to "DrMagicPhD" (one word) at Gmail dot com. For some reason, you can't directly post your e-mail address on here, so you just have to be tricky… _


End file.
